A suspect led police in a pursuit that started in South Gate and wound through parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties on Wednesday evening, April 24, finally ending up in a discount store parking lot in Rowland Heights.

Prior to the chase, South Gate police received reports of a dispute between a man and a woman in a Honda Sedan, said South Gate Capt. Darren Arakawa. He said an officer spotted and approached the car near Firestone Boulevard and California Avenue at about 5:13 p.m. That’s when the driver took off.

From South Gate, the suspect drove erratically through South Los Angeles. Aerial footage broadcast by KTLA5 showed the sedan traveling off-road through Roosevelt Park and crashing through a gate.

The suspect then got onto the 710 freeway, transitioned to the eastbound 91 Freeway and headed toward the Long Beach-Norwalk area.

The vehicle exited the freeway in Downey and passed through La Mirada before crossing into Orange County. Broadcast coverage of the chase showed the suspect ignoring red lights as he drove through crowded intersections and maneuvered along side streets in Buena Park, Garden Grove and Anaheim.

By 7:05 p.m., the driver had gotten onto the westbound 22 Freeway in Orange County, then merged onto the northbound 605 Freeway toward Los Angeles County again. From there, he traveled to the 105 Freeway and exited at Long Beach Boulevard in the Lynwood area.

The chase continued into Huntington Park, where the driver appeared to slow down as he moved through side streets. The car eventually traveled along the eastbound 10 Freeway before getting back onto surface streets in Los Angeles, where California Highway Patrol officers continued to follow the suspect.

Afterward, the driver made his way through East Los Angeles and Montebello, and then along the eastbound 60 Freeway, which took him to his final stop in Rowland Heights.

The suspect exited on Nogales Street and stopped in the parking lot of a 99 Cents Store. Broadcast coverage showed he left the car, bare-chested, and ran into the store, prompting officers to evacuate the building.

The woman was found in the car to be breathing.

She was transported to the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Her condition was not available.

Within minutes, officers detained the suspect and walked him out of the store, now wearing a black long sleeve and handcuffs at around 8:20 p.m., bringing a close to the three-hour chase.

Eric is based out of the Orange County Register and reports on crime and public safety for the Southern California News Group. He was born in the Philippines, was raised in the San Fernando Valley and has previously written about immigration, poverty and entertainment for Inquirer.net and The Asian Journal. He enjoys photographing concerts and sporting events or jamming on one of his personally customized guitars in his free time. His inspirations include Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Wolfe, Ronnie James Dio and Randy "The Macho Man" Savage.